What happens when you take a member from one of the most popular K-pop girl groups and a rising singer-songwriter with a penchant for crafting hits together? You get the best of both worlds. In ‘Blink’, Western and K-pop influences come together in a lush production featuring groovy melodies and punchy vocals.
Corbyn Besson’s newest single featuring Twice’s Tzuyu is the latest shining example of what happens when music crosses languages and borders. Ahead, we speak to Besson on his exciting collaboration with Tzuyu, becoming a K-pop fan, and what fans can expect in his upcoming solo debut EP next year.
Congratulations on your single, ‘Blink’! What was your inspiration behind the song and the funky melody?
“Thank you! I wrote this song with a couple of my songwriter and producer friends around last September or October. Back then, it already started with the vocal chop thing you hear in the intro. That was a sample with a vocalist doing random melodies, so we could assign different keys on the piano.
“It sounded like the first sound was saying “blink”, although it wasn’t. But we thought it was a sick song title, so we put it in the sample and ran with it. Then, we thought of “don’t blink, you might miss it” as a lyric. This kind of fleeting moment that you should grab, because you might meet the love of your life or have a flirtatious moment with a girl who just blew your mind.
“We thought it would be really cool if we wrote it from the perspective of a cat and mouse game between me and a female vocalist. The chorus would be from the female’s point of view, and my verses were about me swooning over this girl I just saw.
“From there, the song wrote itself in, like, 30 minutes. It was one of those records that just wanted to exist, and we were just the vessel for it.”
How did Twice’s Tzuyu come into the picture for ‘Blink’?
“I sat on the song for six to eight months. I had a bunch of conversations with friends and management about who I wanted to try to get on ‘Blink’, but I wasn’t going to put the song out until I found the perfect person for it. I knew it was special, and I wanted it to be more than just a normal collaboration.
“One day, my team was discussing how we’ve always wanted to do things in the K-pop space. I’ve written for a couple of K-pop groups in the past, such as BTS’ ‘Who’ and NCT 127’s ‘Angel Eyes’. Jonah and Daniel from my band, Why Don’t We, actually wrote ‘I Got You’ for Twice—which, fun fact, was originally a WDW song called ‘Cool’. Not sure if I’m allowed to spill the beans on that, but here we go. [laughs]
“When they wrote that song, I never imagined I would have one of the members from Twice in my song, but it all came full circle. So, my team asked how I would feel getting a female K-pop idol for ‘Blink’, and I was super down for that. They brought up Tzuyu from Twice, and I was, like, immediately “yes”. They reached out to her team, sent her the record, and a couple of days later, her team came back and said she absolutely loved the song and wanted to do it.
“Shortly after that, she sent her vocals and killed it. I was like, this could not be better! About a month after that, I met her for the first time at Lollapalooza Chicago, and I was performing during my friend’s set. I didn’t get to see them on stage cause we were on at the same time. But here’s another funny easter egg! The ‘Blink’ hat you see in the music video is a Chicago Cubs hat, so it was such a cool coincidence.”
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Are you a fan of K-pop in general?
“Absolutely. I love the movement that it has created in the industry. I think the US and Western entertainment have dominated globally for so long, and it’s really cool to see music from another side of the world make such a huge impact.
“The first time I was really exposed to it was in 2017 when I saw BTS at the Billboard Music Awards. I remember seeing them and being like, “Who are these guys? I’ve never heard of them, and they’re killing it in America!” Because I was in a boy band too at the time, and it was amazing to see a boy band from South Korea on one of the biggest award shows in the US. I think BTS was a really big catalyst for K-pop to make waves here. I love the energy, the glitz and glam, the choreography. It’s cool that I got to be a part of it.”
K-pop does have its own unique style and charm. Were you worried about how K-pop fans were going to receive the song?
“I was more excited than nervous. I think what’s cool about ‘Blink’ is that the song itself is kind of the opposite of what you would expect from a K-pop record. It’s got an anti-hook; there’s no big drop that’s bright, fun or aggressive. It doesn’t have a big singing chorus. Tzuyu rap-talks, and I have this vocal fry thing going on. [laughs]
“That’s another reason I was really excited to have Tzuyu on ‘Blink’. It’s a song that I don’t think either of our fans expected us to do. It has a unique vibe, so we definitely knew it was different, and we were taking risks in certain areas. For Tzuyu to be so down and cool through this whole process was also really nice.”
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Speaking of her, what was it like working with Tzuyu?
“From the time that I spent with her, she is very softspoken and naturally shy but super sweet, respectful, and funny. While we were in Seoul, she and her team would keep bringing us gifts, which I think is a Korean culture thing. On our last day, we got her a bouquet of flowers and bought her $75 worth of chewy candy from America.” [laughs]
Tell us more about the music video filming in Seoul!
“It was awesome. I love that city so much. I’ve visited twice (oh, pun intended) before, but I never had time to properly explore around. This time, we had 10 days and did a ton of shopping. We also hung out with Tzuyu and her squad a few times. She even brought us to her favourite BBQ spot, which was amazing.
“The music video shoot was a very hectic day. For me, even more so. We flew there from America with my creative director, photographer/videographer and choreographer. No label rep, no manager. Just 4 guys and a dream. [laughs]
“There were about 40 people in the production crew, and only, like, three of them spoke English. But despite the language barrier, everyone was so friendly and determined. We were all chasing this one common vision. We would be in a dark and cramped alleyway at 2am, and there would be sweeping shots of the gritty parts of Seoul that felt like a movie scene. To have Tzuyu out on the streets of Seoul like that was really cool and fun, too. I’ve never done anything like that, either. So there were a lot of firsts.”
‘Blink’ is one of the songs on your upcoming EP as a solo artist. What do you hope to explore more of now in this new chapter of your music career?
“One of my main goals is to bring people back onto the dancefloor. I love dancing, going to the clubs, and music festivals. The idea of letting loose and not caring about anything else in the world for a couple of hours, feeling the music. ‘Blink’ is upbeat and fun. It has a unique aura about it that other songs on the EP don’t have in the same way.”
Can you give us a teaser of what to expect in this upcoming EP?
“Apart from ‘Blink’, there are a couple of emotional songs and one smooth R&B record. There’s also a big anthemic song that is probably my favourite song ever written because it’s very directly about my life. People who have followed me closely will understand when they read the lyrics.
“Everything is very intentional. The storytelling, the drum sounds, the 808s, the synth keyboards—they’re all specific and chosen for a reason. We really dove into the details for each song.
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“When you listen to it all the way through, you’ll realise that not one song sounds like another on the EP. They’re all very different, and yet still cohesive. Every song serves a clear purpose on the project. So, I think there’s something for everybody. Most importantly, it all feels like me.
“I’m really proud of this EP. I dug deep for these songs and pushed myself way out of my comfort zone to land in a place where I felt like I grew into the person I was meant to be at this point in my life. I’ve never fallen in love with music as much or in the same way as I did when I was making this project. It was like an entirely new experience for me. I hope my fans love it and that more people discover me through it. It’s a really good taste of what’s to come.”
Now that you’ve mentioned it, what can you share about any exciting plans in the near future?
“I’m for sure touring next year. Right now, I’m planning out the US leg for sometime around March. I’ve had a couple of conversations already about Asia and Australia as well. I’m planning to be there sometime early next year, maybe in the summer. At the latest, next fall, but I don’t think it’s going to be that long, though, because I want to be out there as soon as possible, especially to Southeast Asia. After all, you guys have been showing ‘Blink’ so much love. I know it’s doing really well in Malaysia, so thank you to everyone who has been streaming! I’ll see you all soon!”
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